


You're Everything That Feels Like Home

by AutumnFalls89



Series: You're Everything That Feels Like Home [1]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27466570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnFalls89/pseuds/AutumnFalls89
Summary: My first attempt at a multi-chapter story. Home is many things to many people but to Julie it is music. Music, her family, and her phantoms. From Reggie and Ray's first in-person meeting to Carlos and Julie's talk, I hope to expand on the wonderful universe that JATP has created in just one short season.These started out as one-shots before I moved to writing a more coherent story around them. Since I tend to write out of order, updates may be a bit slow.Title taken from Godsmack's "Under Your Scars"
Relationships: Alex & Carlos Molina & Julie Molina & Ray Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: You're Everything That Feels Like Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006770
Comments: 9
Kudos: 109





	1. The Morning After (the Orpheum)

The band stayed locked in a hug for a long time. It was only when Julie’s dad called for her that she reluctantly left the boys behind. It was even longer before she fell asleep. Lying in bed, she kept replaying the night’s events. The boys not showing up, her receiving the dahlia, performing alone, and finally the boys appearing. She kept picturing them appearing: Alex smoothly, Reggie with flair, and Luke in flashes. It scared her when he struggled to appear. It scared all of them. She would relive that moment over and over as she tried to sleep. But even more, she relived the moment she could touch them: her band, her boys, her lifeline. 

Julie awoke late after her adventure. She lay in bed, enjoying the sun coming in her window, the comfort of her bed, and the warm, solid weight against her back and on her ankles. She paused. Why was there a warmth on her legs and back? She rubbed her eyes and looked down. A sock covered foot rested on top of her leg. She followed the stockinged foot as it transitioned to black sweats, then a pink t-shirt and finally Alex’s sleeping face. His cheek was smushed against her quilt, his blond hair hanging over his eyes. Her eyes widened even more as she spotted Reggie lying almost sideways on the bed, his arms cradling his head as he lay on his stomach just below Julie’s feet. Craning her head around, she tried to look behind her. All she could make out was a well-muscled arm and brown hair – Luke! She let out a strangled yelp and rolled onto her back. 

“What?” She began, then quieted. She didn’t want her dad to hear. “What are you guys doing?” 

“Mmmph” Luke let out an incomprehensible sound and wiggled until his back was once again pressed against her.  
Reggie yawned and opened his eyes. “Morning Julie.” He grinned. 

Only Alex seemed to recognize her tone. He pushed himself up until he was half sitting. 

“We couldn’t sleep.” He said. 

“You can never sleep.” 

“Yeah, but we usually lay around, pretending. Sometimes we sort of drift into daydreams or something but it’s not like sleep. It’s weird...” He gave himself a shake. “Anyhow, it makes time seem more normal. Last night, every time we tried, we kept picturing ourselves back in Caleb’s club. So, we came in here.” Alex saw her narrowed eyes. “It was Luke’s idea.”

“Boundaries.” Julie growled. Then, she sighed. She did understand. Hadn’t she been woken up by nightmares? “Fine. But never again, alright?” 

Alex nodded and gave Reggie a prod with his foot. “Promise,” Reggie muttered, yawning. 

“Luke?” Julie elbowed him in the back. He just grumbled. “Luke!” She gave him a hard shove, nearly sending him off the bed. 

“What?” He blinked and rolled to look at her. 

“Sometimes your worse than Reggie.” She sighed. “Did you hear what I said?” 

“Uuuh, yeah. Of course!” His voice squeaked on the last word. 

She gave him another shove. “Boundaries!” 

“Julie?” A voice sounded at her door. “Did I hear you talking?”

She glanced nervously at the guys. “Uh, yeah. Just talking to myself.”

Ray chuckled. “Alright, well, if you still want breakfast, we saved some waffles for you.”

“I really wish we could have waffles.” Luke muttered. 

Julie bit back a smile. “Okay dad. I’ll be down soon.” 

She glanced at the clock. It was already 11! “I’ll met you guys in the garage later, alright? I have a few things to do first.” 

Reggie pouted from the end of the bed. “But we want to test our new ghost powers!” 

“Ghost powers?” Julie raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Touching people?” Reggie replied. 

Luke stretched out and kicked Reggie, sending him tumbling off the bed. “Dude. That’s so wrong.” 

Alex rolled his eyes and hauled his bandmates away with a poof. 

***

Julie had just finished breakfast and was heading towards the door when Carlos caught her by the arm. “We never had our talk last night.” 

She looked at her brother, his wide eyes staring into hers. She couldn’t put it off any longer. Not that she meant to put it off. With all that had happened, she had just forgotten. She sighed, “Alright. Give me five minutes then I’ll meet you in your room.”

“You’d better.” He nodded and let her go. 

She ran out to the studio to let the guys know that their experiments would have to wait for a little bit longer. 

***

Julie climbed the stairs to her brother’s room with some trepidation. She didn’t know how he had figured it out and a part of her didn’t want to let him in on her secret. They were her boys, her connection to her mom, and to music. But she knew that was selfish. Besides, she knew that the boys got lonely. Having someone else to talk to – or who knew they existed – couldn’t hurt. Carlos grabbed her arm the second she reached the top of the stairs and yanked her into his room. She stepped over his discarded hoody and sat on the bed, playing with a lock of hair. Carlos closed the door before sitting at his desk. He spun the chair back and forth. Julie watched the motion, getting a little dizzy. Finally, he stopped. “Are you going to say anything?”

She blinked, “I don’t know what to say. Or where to start? How did you find out?”

“I found a box of stuff in the studio.”

“The recipe card box?” 

“Yeah,” He nodded and began spinning his chair again. “That one. I was talking to Tia about the ghost attack and the French Dip when I saw the CD paper thing. It had a picture of them.”

“Wait, ghost attacks?” Julie’s eyebrows rose for a minute before they dropped low and she scowled. “What did they do?” 

“You know when you got busted for sneaking out while grounded? I was ghost hunting in the house with Tia. Something made the blinds move and then this sheet ghost appeared. It looked like it had hands and a head. It was totally awesome.” 

“That’s why Tia was freaked out?” Julie groaned and rubbed her forehead “So she knows about the ghosts too.” 

Carlos shook his head, “I didn’t tell her. She already won’t come back into the house until we have the house blessed or something.” 

His sister just sighed, “I guess I’ll worry about that later. Hopefully she’ll forget about it.”

“So, these ghosts.” Carlos leaned forward in his chair. “Are they really from the 90’s? Why do they look so young? And when can I meet them?” 

Julie couldn’t help but laugh. “Slow down. Yes, they died in ’95 and as far as I know ghosts don’t age so they look the same as they did back then. But, they just came back, or got here….I’m not quite sure what you call it… last month.”

“Whoa.” Carlo’s eyes were wide. “Where were they?” 

“I have no idea. They appeared when I played their CD.” 

“Cool. So, it summoned them? That’s awesome!” He opened his mouth to say more, but Julie shook her head. Something was bothering her. Carlos didn’t keep secrets. He shared everything with everyone – including his fledgling YouTube channel. 

“Carlos, why didn’t you tell Dad, or Tia? Or your YouTube channel?” 

He sobered. His young face solemn. “I heard you talking to them about Mom.” 

“Oh.” 

“Do they know her?” His glanced up at her, eyes shimmering slightly. “Did she say anything about me?”

“I wish. It was just the three of them.” She took a deep breath. “We don’t know much about, well, anything. Where they were. How they got here. It’s a big mystery. Flynn talks a lot about signs, and I think she may be right. Maybe Mom did send the guys for me.” 

“What about me?” 

She could barely make out his whisper. She played with a curl, thinking hard. “Carlos, you’re so much stronger than me. Stronger than Dad, even. You’ve survived so much and been so strong and happy through everything. Mom knew that.” She sighed. “And maybe she knew that you’d meet the guys eventually.” 

After a minute, he nodded. “Okay.” He stood and walked next to where Julie sat on the bed. She reached out to hug him. “Okay” he repeated. “We’re okay.” 

They stayed like that for a moment before Julie released him and wiped her eyes. “So, do you want to meet them?” 

****

Julie opened the studio door just as a pillow flew through the air, narrowly missing her face. 

“My bad!” Luke called, appearing beside her to grab the pillow. “Oh crap.” His grin faded as he noticed Carlos next to her. “I didn’t see him there.”

Her brother stared at the floating pillow with wide eyes. 

Julie smiled at Carlos’s expression. “It’s alright. We’ve talked and he knows. What’s with the pillows?” 

“Oh. Watch this.” Luke motioned them further into the studio. Alex sat in the loft, his legs dangling overhead, and Reggie stood near the couch, another pillow in his hands. 

“You guys could pick up pillows before. What’s new with that?”

“No, no. Not that.” Luke shook his head. “This!” As he said the last word, he flung the pillow at Alex. Instead of passing through him, as Julie expected, the pillow smacked Alex squarely in the face. He huffed. 

“What was that for? I thought I was safe up here.” He poofed down to where the pillow had landed. Picking it up, he hurled it back at Luke. This time, Luke caught it and grinned. “See? We can hit each other now!” 

“That’s what you figured out while I was gone?” Julie shook her head, hiding a grin. Then, she had an idea. “Pass me a pillow” She commanded. Then, she threw it at a surprised Reggie. His mouth fell open as it hit his stomach. 

“Quick!” He shouted. “Let the little man try it!” 

Luke held a pillow out to Carlos. He looked between it and Julie. “Uh, Julie? What’s going on? Why are there pillows flying all over?”

Oh right. He couldn’t hear any of that. “Long story, they just figured out that they can hit each other with objects now. They want you to try.”

“Cool.” Carlos took the proffered weapon. “But I can’t even see them.”

“Oh.” Reggie frowned before grabbing a nearby pillow and placing it at his feet. “Aim there.”

Julie translated. Carlos took careful aim and the pillow sailed right through Reggie’s head, thudding against the wall. 

It took close to twenty minutes to get them calmed down enough to play for Carlos and be visible. It took only two minutes for them to run into the house to play Mario Kart, Julie frantically running after them, reminding them that Ray was home. Before, she had even reached the house, Carlos was headed back outside, two Switches in hand, excitedly explaining how they worked. All thoughts of ghostly powers and experiments were completely forgotten. Julie just shook her head and followed them.


	2. Unwelcome Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her boys were really touch starved. She had noticed right from the beginning that Luke was a touchy-feely guy. He was always hanging off of Alex and Reggie, throwing his legs over theirs, or playfully shoving them. What she hadn’t realized was that Alex and Reggie were the same way. They had craved touch before their deaths and more so afterwards in this new and unfamiliar world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is finally here. I have a couple later chapters that use/were inspired by songs. Would people prefer that I just post the name of it or incorporate it like a song-fic?

The band didn’t get much “experimenting” in on the weekend. Mostly they basked in the ability to touch one another, having multiple group hugs and spending time sprawled on the couch across each other. But they did determine that they couldn’t touch anyone besides Julie. Carlos was the happy volunteer as he was already spending hours fighting Luke in Mario Kart and Super Smash. He did feel “something odd” when the boys walked through him or attempted to touch him. Despite the new distractions, they had written a new song and spent the rest of the time covering whatever random songs they could think of. Although, they kept having to stop Reggie from repeatedly playing Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet, after all!

The rest of that weekend was the longest weekend of Julie’s life - and the shortest. After their performance on Friday night and their music-filled Saturday and Sunday, Julie felt both exhilarated and exhausted. She was almost ready for something normal like school to take her mind off of her nightmares about the Orpheum and her amazement at being able to hug her boys.

By the end of Tuesday, she had also noticed something. Her boys were really touch starved. She had noticed right from the beginning that Luke was a touchy-feely guy. He was always hanging off of Alex and Reggie, throwing his legs over theirs, or playfully shoving them. What she hadn’t realized was that Alex and Reggie were the same way. They had craved touch before their deaths and more so afterwards in this new and unfamiliar world.

After the Orpheum, Julie had already been the recipient of many hugs, casual arms around her neck, or shoulders bumping hers. She didn’t mind, most of the time. It was an extension of how they sought each when they were lonely, afraid, or hurt. Occasionally, before the Orpheum, one of the boys would appear at the back of her classroom or lurked near her desk. It was usually Luke, with his smiling eyes, who would mock the teacher or other students, trying to make her laugh. She knew that when he tried to make her smile, it meant that he was feeling sad. Occasionally Alex appeared, usually watching her dance class and trying a couple moves. She knew that he showed up when he was stressed or confused. Reggie came less often; he usually hung out with her dad and that kept him happy. But sometimes, his grin wasn’t as bright, and he would slip into a chair next to her and just sigh. Out of all the boys, he might have missed every day, normal activities the most. From what little she knew, his life before death had lacked too many normal, boring days. So, she said nothing when one of them would show up and distracted her on the days and weeks leading up to the Orpheum.

Still, when all three showed up at school on Wednesday morning, crowding around her desk, she had to remind herself that they needed her. That today might be a bad day when they really needed physical human contact. Maybe Reggie had another nightmare, or Alex was moping about Willie. Maybe Luke was missing his parents. Maybe they were all still absorbing the changes that had happened. Or maybe they felt that same unspoken fear that Julie felt – that Caleb wasn’t gone, and their time was short.

Usually, they waited until she was home from school to sit close, shoulders touching while they worked on music (Luke), rest their arms on the back of her shoulders (also Luke), or outright wrapped her up in a hug as soon as she came home (Reggie). Alex was more reserved, but even he would place a hand on her shoulder or put his arm around her when they all watched movies. But they hadn’t all visited her school since their first performance at the Spirit Assembly. Yet here they were. Alex sat in Flynn’s seat giving her a smile. Luke stood to the left of her chair; Reggie directly behind her. Reggie leaned close and moved to wrap his arms around her shoulders. His arms went right through her and she jumped in surprise. She looked around. No one was watching her, so she turned around to look at Reggie and Luke. They looked back with wide eyes. Reggie’s expression was pained. Alex frowned and tried to place his hand on her shoulder, but it too fell through.

“You guys okay?” She whispered.

Luke just shrugged and looked at the ground. Flynn came up beside her and gave her a look. “Who are you talking to? Are the boys here?” She kept her voice low. “Hey boys.”

Luke gave another shrug before they poofed away. Reggie gave a brief wave as Alex grimaced and they both disappeared. She rubbed her eyes and turned to Flynn. “Yeah, but they just left. It was weird. They couldn’t touch me.”

Flynn pushed back her hair and frowned. “Are they okay? Do I need to make a commotion to sneak you out of here? I can do it. They don’t call me Double Trouble for nothing!”

Julie gave her friend a half smile. “No one calls you that.” Her smile faded. “But I’m worried. What if it was just temporary? What if we can no longer touch?”

“You mean what if you and Luke can no longer touch?” Flynn raised an eyebrow and rested her head on her fist.

“No! Julie’s voice rose sharply, causing a few people to glance her way. She quieted her voice. “I mean, we’re just friends. You know it’s complicated.”

“Yeah, but now you can…” Flynn closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

“FLYNN!” Julie shoved her friend, but she couldn’t help a slight smile from forming on her face.

The DJ snapped her fingers at Julie. “Maybe I should sneak you out of here. Then you can try it at the studio.”

Julie’s face turned a darker shade of red and she pursed her lips at her friend. “Be serious. What do I do if we can’t touch anymore?”

“Relax. I’m sure it will be fine when you get home. Maybe it’s something they can only do in the studio. I mean, that’s sort of their ghostly home base, right?”

Julie nodded.

“See? It will be fine.”

Despite Flynn’s reassuring words, Julie’s stomach was in a knot for the rest of the day. She even missed steps in dance class, usually one of her best classes. All she could see was Alex’s hand falling through her shoulder and the disappointment on her bandmates’ faces.

***

The boys were sprawled across the studio floor. Luke leaning against the couch, his legs akimbo and his head tilted back on the cushions. Reggie sat in the middle of the rug, his knees drawn up to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees and sighed. Alex was starfished on the floor, his pink hoody clashing with the multi-coloured rug. They lay like that for what felt like an eternity after returning from Julie’s school. None of them could face the idea that they couldn’t touch Julie anymore. Every time one of them began to say something about it, they stopped. They just couldn’t voice their fears. So, they lay there in silence.

Finally, Alex broke the silence. “Where do our instruments go when we aren’t playing?”

Reggie raised his head from his knees. Luke just shrugged from his position against the couch.

“I don’t know, man. To that dark room?” Reggie looked up briefly.

“Our guitars sometimes stay here when we aren’t playing.” Luke pointed towards the wall with his chin where his guitar rested. “Maybe they’re always here. We just don’t notice them.”

“My drums aren’t really easy to miss, dude.”

“I dunno.” Reggie shrugged.

Alex pulled himself into a sitting position. “Seriously. It’s so weird. How can they just appear and disappear? Do they really exist or are they ghost instruments?”

“Well, we’re ghosts, and we play them. So yeah, they’re ghost instruments.” Luke lifted his head to exchange a look with Reggie. If they weren’t going to stress about the incident at school, Alex was going to find something else to stress about. Apparently, this was it.

Alex gave him a look. “Not what I meant. I mean Julie’s dad could touch them, right? That means they’re real. Then how do they disappear?” His voice squeaked a touch. “And if we can make them appear, why can’t we make them disappear?”

Luke sat up a bit straighter. He did have a point. If they could make them appear, why couldn’t they make them disappear? He looked at the clock. Still an hour until Julie was home. Lots of time to kill and anything was better than stressing. “Well, let’s try it.”

Luke picked up his guitar and played a few notes at random. He waited until Alex’s drums appeared. Then, he looked at his guitar, willing it to disappear into…wherever. It stayed still. It’s blue surface glinting in his hands mockingly.

“Are you trying?” Reggie asked.

“Yes.” Luke shut his eyes and scrunched his face up, focussing with all his might on the guitar. Nothing happened. “You try it.”

Reggie mimicked Luke’s face. “Disappear. Disappear.” He muttered.

After a few minutes, they turned to Alex expectantly. He put his drumsticks in his pockets and stared hard at his drums. They shuddered before turning transparent. Then, with a pop, they disappeared.

“Dude!” Luke exclaimed. “How’d you do that?”

“It’s no big deal.” Alex looked at his feet. “I’m sure you guys can do it too.”

Reggie gave him a look.

“Fine. You guys remember when Julie’s dad came in here and wanted to sell my drums?” The boys nodded. “I remembered how much I wanted them to disappear back then. And they did.” He shrugged.

“That won’t work.” Reggie protested. “It’s cool if Ray touches my instrument.”

Alex gave him a disgusted look. “Dude. Think before you speak.”

Reggie just looked at him. “What?”

Luke strummed his fingers over his guitar idly, tuning out their bickering over double meaning. Half of his mind still thought about Julie and the pain in his chest when Reggie’s arms fell through Julie. It hadn’t even been a week since the Orpheum, but he drank up every touch, every bump of their shoulders, their band’s group hugs - everything. It made him feel more alive. Julie made him feel more alive. After she had given his parents _Unsaid Emily_ , he had wanted nothing more than to be able to touch her. Then, though some miracle of fate, they could touch, and the boys all agreed: her hugs felt like home. After losing so much, he couldn’t bear to have that taken away.

“Luke?” Reggie and Alex were both staring at him. He gave his head a shake and gave them a weak grin. He looked down at guitar, trying to focus on Alex’s advice. But he couldn’t imagine not wanting his guitar around. He just didn’t want it to disappear.

“No luck?” Reggie asked. “Me neither. Maybe it’s Alex’s superpower.”

“What’s his superpower?” Julie poked her head into the studio, backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Julie!” Reggie unleashed his megawatt grin. “Check out what Alex can do.”

Alex waved and summoned his drums. At Julie’s raised eyebrow, he made them disappear.

“Oh. You couldn’t do that before? I mean, they weren’t always in here.”

“I don’t know. I didn’t do it on purpose before. I figured it out just now.”

“That’s awesome, Alex.” She summoned a smile. “That will be really handy sometimes. I mean, they do take up lots of room.” She looked at them awkwardly and took a slow step towards them. Luke reached out to her but stopped at the last second. His hand hung in the air. Julie gazed at it in apprehension. Reggie held his breath as she slowly raised her own hand. Alex tapped a fast tattoo with his foot. _This was it._ Julie’s fingers grazed Luke’s and she gently clasped his hand. He gave her a shaky grin before pulling her into a fierce hug. Reggie and Alex poofed over to join in the hug. Alex would never admit it, but there may have been a few tears.

After a few minutes, they separated. Luke picked up Julie’s hand and Alex was quick to place his hand on her shoulder. Reggie shifted so he could lean Julie and Luke’s shoulders. Julie’s chocolate eyes gazed at each of them in turn. She took a deep breath before asking, “What happened?”

Luke shrugged, his grip tightening on her hand. It was Alex who finally spoke. “We have no idea. It seems to work in the studio just fine.”

“Maybe Flynn was right.” Julie muttered.

“What?” Reggie asked.

“Flynn said that maybe we can only touch in the studio since it’s where you first appeared or something.”

“It’s as good an explanation as any.” Luke said.

Alex snorted. “I’d prefer a better answer. We can be seen elsewhere when we’re performing for Julie. Why’s it tied to the studio? I mean, why not to our homes? Or the Orpheum or something?”

“My home’s gone.” Reggie said helpfully.

Luke shrugged again. “The studio was our home. At least for a bit.”

The boys nodded. “It’s still your home.” Julie said firmly, then cleared her throat and dropped Luke’s hand. “So, uh, do you guys want to practice? We can finish up the song we wrote on the weekend.”

The boys looked at each other and shared identical grins. “Nah,” Luke picked up her hand again. “We have something more exciting in mind.”

Julie gave him a puzzled look. Reggie took her other hand as Alex poofed outside the studio. The boys tugged her out the door and onto the driveway. Their hands still in hers, they paused at the end of the driveway and grinned again. Julie dug her heels in, resisting their pulling. “Okay. What are you guys doing?”

“Seeing how far we can go!” Reggie gave her hand another tug. “See? We can still touch.”

They ended up dragging her past Alex and one house down before first Reggie’s, then Luke’s grip faltered and finally failed. They repeated this again with Alex taking Luke’s place. Alex had a harder time, not being able to grab her hand until they were almost at the driveway. After the fourth trip, Julie sat, panting on her driveway.

“This is worse than gym class.” She panted. “Can we call it a day? You’re not getting any further.”

The boys started to nod when Alex broke in. “Wait. What if we focus on it? Like we did to touch objects at first. We focus all our energy on our hands.”

“Go for it.” Reggie said, sitting next to Julie. “I’m tired.”

“You’re a ghost. You can’t get tired.” Luke rolled his eyes, but he sat down too.

“I’m still tired.” The bassist insisted. “I’ve been burning a lot of ghostly calories here.”

Alex snorted and shook his head. Julie heaved herself off the ground and held out her hand. “Okay. One more try and then I’m going inside. I’m hungry!”

Luke started to get up, but Alex had already grabbed her hand and started walking. With Alex concentrating, they were able to make it two houses away before Alex’s hand fell out of Julie’s. He shook his hair out of his eyes and smiled. Julie smiled back at him. “I guess you’re the best ghost after all.”

When they got back to the house, Alex sat down with a whumph. “Okay, Reggie. Maybe you’re on to something too. I haven’t felt this tired in forever!”

Reggie and Luke nodded from their places on the ground. Julie bit back a grin before she walked into the house. The ghosts weren’t the only ones who were tired. She felt as though she had walked a marathon, physically and emotionally. All that stressing at school about being able to touch the boys had been exhausting too!

The sun set as Julie sat down to eat and the boys relaxed in the studio. Luke flipped through an old magazine as Reggie looked over his shoulder. Alex lay on the couch reading a book borrowed from Ray. It was a peaceful ending to a stressful day.


	3. A Close Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys grow careless as they bond with Carlos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this had been a crazy time. I had trouble writing this chapter initially and then when I went to publish it, I realized that part of the chapter was gone! I have no idea what happened! So, I rewrote it as best I could but I don't think it's quite as good. Hopefully, it's still enjoyable.

**Chapter 3: Close Calls**

The boys made themselves scarce at school the next morning but had hung around the breakfast table beforehand making faces at Carlos. When her Dad’s back was turned Julie had glared at them. Carlos furrowed his brows and mouthed “ghosts”?

Julie had nodded before standing and taking her plate to the kitchen. Carlos joined her. “Tell them that we should play video games tonight. I want a Mario Cart rematch with Alex. He kicked my butt last time.”

Julie smiled. “He says sure. Reggie wants to play too. But only in the studio and make sure it’s when Dad’s gone.” 

Carlos nodded.

***

“Dude, check this out! We’re on the internet!” Luke grinned and smacked Alex’s chest. “It doesn’t say much but we’re there. _An up and coming band from California…”_

“Awesome.” Alex grinned. “Only important stuff is on the internet, right?”

Reggie frowned. “I don’t know… I’ve seen some pretty weird things on that Instant picture thing Julie’s using all the time.”

“Yeah, but dude, this is an encyclopedia. It’s _educational_.” Alex pushed his hair out of his eyes. “We’re legit.” He smiled at his use of new slang.

“Oh, hey. You’re on Wikipedia.” Carlos came up behind the ghosts, causing them to jump.

Reggie nodded. “Dude,” Alex shoved a notebook into his hands. “He can’t see you.”

‘Yup.’ Reggie scrawled and held it up. ‘We’re _legit.”_

Carlos shrugged. “Cool.” He sat down in the chair, blithely sitting atop Luke. The guitarist jumped up with a squawk and stood behind the chair.

Carlos scrolled to the bottom of the short article and pulled up the two photos of Sunset Curve – both from their demo. “What’s with the plaid and chains?” He wrinkled his nose.

‘Hey! We were cool.’ Reggie waved the note in Carlos’s face for emphasis.

Alex grabbed the note, crossed out ‘were’ and added ‘are’.

“Was that really cool in the ‘90’s?” Carlos hummed and opened another tab. With a few keystrokes, he brought up Wikipedia’s article on ‘90’s fashion. He scrolled past Paula Abdul in a skin-tight, sheer black dress, the big five models, and the neon colours that bled over from the 80’s.

“Whoa.” He blinked. “That’s just blinding.” Neon leotards covered the screen. Luke winced and shuddered. Reggie gave him a sympathetic look. That was not his scene. But, he could remember scrunchies galore and even that one kid who always wore Hammer pants and carried a boom-box. Now that he thought about it, he swore he’d seen pants on guys at Julie’s school. The page scrolling continued, landing on a couple decked out in plaid shirts.

“That’s more like it.” Reggie said. He smirked at the prominent image displayed. A woman with short, dishevelled hair sat on a street corner. Her jeans were dark and ripped, a battered flannel sweater covered her torso. He used his pen to point at her. ‘That’s hot.’ He wrote.

Carlos wrinkled his nose.

“Jeez, Reg, she looks just like you.”

Reggie stared at Luke. “No, she doesn’t.”

“Yes, she does. Plaid shirt, ripped jeans, black hair. All she’s missing is a leather jacket. It’s practically your trademark.”

Alex nodded. “He’s right.”

“At least I have a style.” Reggie sulked. “I look like a rock star.”

“And I don’t?”

“I mean, dude. What’s with the socks”

“What’s wrong with my socks?” Alex looked down at his white socks which encompassed his sweats. “It’s a style.”

Luke rolled his eyes, but Reggie was just getting started. “What’s wrong with them? They’re sooo long and they’re OVER your pants! And they’re pulled up so high it’s like they’re giving your toes a wedgie. How is that even comfortable?”

“Giving my toes a wedgie?” Alex squeaked out. Behind him, Luke was snickering. Alex turned on him. “It’s better than Luke’s rabid fear of sleeves.”

Luke put up his hands. “Hey! It’s for ventilation.”

“It doesn’t help.” Reggie snarked. “Even dead, you still stink.”

Alex snickered. Luke gave Reggie a shove, sending him through Carlos and into Alex. Both tumbled to the ground. Carlos looked up as the chair crashed down.

The boy jumped. “You guys okay?”

Reggie popped up and scrawled in the notebook. ‘Just fine. Games?’

An hour later, Julie walked in to see Reggie, and Carlos battling each other in Super Smash. Reggie sat next to her brother, leaning forward, his body moving as he played. Alex sprawled on the opposite couch, his long body taking up the whole thing. He watched the other two with open amusement. Luke was nowhere to be seen.

“What are you doing?” Julie shouted. “Dad could walk in any moment!”

Carlos waved a hand at his sister. “Nah. He already left.”

“He left you alone?”

“It’s not like I’m a child. I can be home alone. Besides, I’m not alone. Your band is here.”

“They don’t count, and you know it.” Julie spluttered. “Plus, you’re in the living room not the studio.”

“There’s more room in here.”

“Plus, Luke is in there working on something.” Reggie grimaced. “And he does NOT want company.”

Julie frowned. “No one?”

Alex turned to look at her. “Well, you might get away with it, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Just in case.”

“Yeah.” Reggie grinned at her. “Watch me kick your brother’s butt.”

She rolled her eyes and grinned back at him. “Fine but I need to do homework before long.”

Julie grabbed her books before flopping on top of Alex’s legs on the couch.

“Hey!” He exclaimed. “There’s room on the other couch.”

Julie raised an eyebrow. “There’s more room here. Plus, I might get hit by Reggie’s flailing elbows.”

Alex jiggled his legs. Julie thumped his knee. “Stop it.”

“I regret the fact that you can now touch us.” He muttered, giving her a poke with his drumstick.

“No, you don’t.”

Alex smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.”

As they both turned to watch Carlos play, Luke poofed in right in front of Reggie.

“Dude!” Reggie squawked. “You’re blocking the screen.”

Luke just waved his arms in front of Reggie.

Reggie gave him a shove before shrieking. “What’s wrong with you. I just fell off Rainbow Road!”

“I win!” Carlos held his hands in the air. “Bow to me, ghosts. Bow to me!”

“You didn’t win. I was blocked!” Reggie whined. He prodded Luke with his boot. “Julie, tell him I was blocked!”

Luke grabbed his boot and gave a tug. Reggie reached out for Carlos as he started to slide off the couch. “Little man can’t save you now.” Luke taunted and scrambled onto the couch in Reggie’s place. Reggie pulled at his shirt, hands flailing. Luke grunted as one finger hit his eye. The two hit the couch in a tangle. Julie winced as their limbs crashed through Carlos. Oblivious, he stood up and flossed in celebration. That was when things went sideways. As he started to sit down, Luke had wrestled Reggie into submission. Luke had him pinned to the couch just as Carlos started to sit back down. Unfortunately, for the boys, Carlo’s butt went right through their heads.

Reggie gave Julie a look of sheer terror just before Carlos’s posterior covered his face. Julie covered a snicker and barely had time to see Luke’s look of disgust before Alex caught her eye and whispered, “Buttheads.”

At his comment, she snorted and began to giggle. Alex wasn’t far behind. From underneath Carlos came Reggie’s panicked whisper. “What if he farts?”

Alex convulsed on the couch. Julie was in tears. Carlos looked at his sister in confusion. “What’s going on?” He asked.

But all she could get out was, “butt face.” Before dissolving into giggles.

“Well, see how you’d like it.” Luke retorted glaring at his bandmates.

“Cannonball!” Reggie shouted, leaping towards the couch. Julie shrunk away from his oncoming body but was broadsided by Luke who jumped onto the Sunset Curve pile. After a bit more scuffling, the band stayed tangled up on the couch, controllers redistributed. Alex was still at the bottom of the pile with the three others sprawled across his legs. Julie was squished between Reggie and Luke and blushed every time Luke’s bare shoulder brushed hers.

It was in this position that Ray found them. He walked in to see his daughter huddled by herself on the large couch, her arms pulled into her sides as she gripped the controller. He blinked. It almost looked like she hovered a couple inches off the couch. He blinked a couple more times.

“Julie? Carlos?”

Julie jumped and Alex hastily pulled his legs up. “Oh, hi dad. You’re home early.”

“Dude, put down the controllers.” Alex whispered frantically.

“Not that early. It’s already five thirty.”   
“Oh shoot! Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.” Julie laughed nervously. Had her dad noticed anything?

Ray set his phone down on the table and came closer. He stared closely at his daughter and the five controllers spread across the couch. He rubbed his eyes. For a moment, he though the controllers had moved too. He really needed to get his eyes checked!

“Who are you playing with?” Ray gestured towards the flatscreen.

“Just some friends from school.” Carlos glanced at Julie.

Ray raised an eyebrow. “And where are those friends?”

“Uh, at home.” Julie smiled nervously. “Carlos is playing over Wi-Fi.”

“Then why the extra controllers?” Ray nodded his head towards the couch. “You’re not playing with those ghostly orbs of yours, are you?”

Julie giggled nervously. “Good one Dad. His friends’ Wi-Fi cut out so…”

“So, I put out extra controllers. Makes it seem more real.” Carlos nodded emphatically.

“If you say so…” Ray opened his mouth to say more but Tia swept in with a pan of food in her hand.

“Hello Mijas.” She placed the pan on the counter. “Carlos. I thought you were going over to a friend’s house. Or did Julie get home early?”

“Oh, uh…” Carlos looked around the room, anywhere but at Tia.

“Carlos.” Tia’s voice sharpened and she gave Ray a look.

He muttered something that may have been ‘right.’ He squared his shoulders and looked directly at Carlos. “I told you that you couldn’t be home alone when I left. You said you were going straight to Jake’s down the street.”

Carlos fidgeted with his controller. The three ghosts looked awkwardly at each other before poofing out. “So…” Ray’s voice trailed off.

“So, he should be punished.” Tia put in.

“It’s fine, Dad. I was home early. He wasn’t by himself for long.” _He wasn’t alone at all_. Julie added mentally. He had three (not so mature) ghosts looking after him. But she couldn’t tell her Dad that.

“No Julie. He lied to me. Tia’s right.” Ray nodded. “Right, so…”

“No tablet or video games for three days.”

“No tablet or video games for three days.” Ray parroted.

“But Dad!” Carlos protested.

“No buts.”

Julie winced in sympathy as her dad picked up the tablet and carried it to his room. When he re-emerged, he motioned to Julie and her brother. “Alright, let’s all sit down and have some dinner. Your Tia has so graciously provided us with it.”

“No hay problema. You saved me from calling a cab today. I can’t believe I got a flat tire two minutes from work!”

“Did Dad come save you?” Carlos grabbed plates from the cupboard and swooped them down on the table, his punishment forgotten at the sight of food.

“Not really.” Ray placed silverware beside the plates. “I just stopped by on my way home from a shoot. Then, we followed the tow truck to the mechanic. No swooping necessary.”

Julie stayed silent and ate quickly. She had lots of homework to finish – and a warning to give the guys. That was too close! 

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one is here! I'm having some trouble getting my formatting to transfer from Word to here. Tips appreciated.


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